Artists on Friday began the installation of EcoSculpt, a sculpture exhibit and competition celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

Duke Energy and the Fountain Square Management group are sponsoring the three-week exhibit, which will feature the work of 11 artists using only recycled and recyclable materials.

This year's artists, selected from concepts solicited last month, include:

• Tom Tsuchiya,"Atlas Recycled", using outdated atlases and maps to create a sculpture of Atlas supporting the Earth;
• Christopher Daniel, "Vitro House", a card house made of reclaimed glass windows;
• Michael Lakoff, "Yard Art on the Square", made of recycled garden magazine photos embellished with ceramic shards and bottle caps;
• Isabella King and family, "Aluminum Anomaly", a spring fantasy of grass, flowers, trees, and birds made entirely of pop cans;
• Robert Beemon, "Homage to King Records", a shrine honoring the artists who made records for the King-Federal labels in Cincinnati between the 1940s and the 1970s;
• Rachel E. Argo, "The Eye of Providence", composed of hangers arranged in triangles, the arranged together as equilateral pyramids;
• Jim Crosser and volunteers, "Unbound", using bamboo to tell a story of freedom;
• Carrie Turner, "Pop Waterfall", a waterfall composed of pop cans;
• Pam Fellerhoff, Nicole Reblando, Heather Curless and Sands Montessori School, "Bags in Bloom", using plastic food bags to construct 10-foot flowers;
• Kevin White and Jan Hermans, "Angry Alligator", a large, brightly painted alligator with ferocious aluminum teeth and large light fixture eyes; and
• Janet Phelps Osmond and advanced sculpture students from Deer Park High School, "The Fiddle and the Magician", made of CD discs and old cassette tapes.

First place in the competition will win $500, with the econd and third places earning $250 and $100, respectively. A special "People's Choice" award will provide the winner with $100.

Winners will be announced during a noontime event on Fountain Square on Earth Day, April 22.

The exhibit closes on April 29.

Photos courtesy of 5chw4r7z, the ethos of downtown Cincinnati.